Tub enclosures



March 22, 1960 N, H, SPECTOR 2,929,074

TUB ENCLOSURES Filed July 25, 1957 s Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VE N TOR NOVE RA HERBERT SPECTOR March 22, 1960 SPECTOR 2,929,074

TUB ENCLOSURES Filed July 25, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. IO.

INVENTOR NOVERA HERBERT SPE TOR United States Patent TUB ENCLOSURES Novera Herbert Spector, Merrick, N.Y.

Application July 25, 1957, Serial No. 674,138

2 Claims. (Cl. 4-149) My invention relates to tub enclosures.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a waterproof, disappearing enclosure for a shower in a bath tub which will leave practically the whole front of the tub open when not in use, thus permitting easy access for tub baths, for cleaning of tub, and for handling of small children when adult is washing child. Another obiect of my invention is to prevent any water from splashing outside of the tube when in use. Another object is to eliminate the rail that is usually added to the rim of the tub when rigid shower doors are installed. Another object is to provide ease of operation, i.e., in opening, closing, locking, etc. Another object is to provide an enclosure which is safe in operation and remains safe, i.e., helps to prevent tub and shower door accidents.

Other objects and advantages will be evident from the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a front view of the bathroom, showing the enclosure sealing the tub compartment.

Figure 2 is a view 22 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a section 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section 4-4 of Figure 5.

Figure 5 is a section 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a view 66 of Figure 5, minus the cover (part 71).

Figure 7 is a side view of the tub with a water-proofing seal, etc.

Figure 8 is a section 8-8 of Figure 9.

Figure 9 is a section 9-9 of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a view of the topmost part of the enclosure.

Figure 11 is a view for parallel movement.

Figure 12 shows a design for folding panels horizontally.

Figure 13 shows the method of folding the panels horizontally; and

Figure 14 is a section 1414 of Figure 7.

My enclosure consists of a plurality of panels, so arranged that, when in use, almost the entire front is watertight sealed, leaving but a small opening on the top for steam exit. In Figure l, is the bath tub, 21, 22 and 23 are the panels and 24 is the opening on the top. When not in use, 21, 22 and 23 are folded up to the ceiling as shown in Figure 5.

Each panel consists of a frame 25 and 26 of one material, within which are inserted sheets 27 within waterproof strips 28. To the lowest panel frame 25 is fastened an extrusion 29 of length approximately equal to 25. 29 has two knobs 30 fastened to a rod 31. 30 is inside the tub and 30,, is outside the tub. At the center of 31 is a cam 32 in line with two rods 33. Both rods are pulled together by a spring 34. The knobs 30 are held to the rod 31 by two screws 35 at nearly right angles to each other, so arranged that they act as stops against a pin 36 at each turn of 90 of the knob, thus either inserting rods 33 into holes 37 (Figure 12) to the uppermost position, or within holes 37 (not shown) to the lowest position of the lowest panel. In addition to the stop 36, the knob 30 has different lengths of its arms (Figure 2); thus 2,929,074 Patented Mar. 22, 1960 the user may also see as to whether the panels are locked or unlocked. To the very bottom of the extrusion 29 is fastened a long strip of soft material 38 which rests on top of the tub 39 for waterproofing.

The extrusions 25 and 26 are beveled for two puroses: p (1) To insure that water will pour into the tub only; and

(2) For folding the panels to the ceiling, all panels will arrange themselves as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

Each panel is suspended by two cables: two of 40, two of 41 and two of 42. Said cables pass over pulleys 43 which rotate and slide on an inclined journal 44. The ends of the cables are fastened to two step pulleys 45 (only one is shown in Figure 5). A torsion spring 60 counteracts the weight. The dimensions of the various diameters of the step pulley are such that panel 21 is pulled up to the ceiling by the largest of its diameter; panel 23 is pulled up to the ceiling by its smallest diameter; thus bringing up all the panels to the ceiling. Pulleys 45 are fastened to a rod 46 which insures that the panels move parallel to each other without binding. 52 are the bearings for 46.

Another means for preventing the binding and the parallel movement is shown in Figure 11. Panel 47 has pivots 48 for four pulleys 49 over which pass two cables 50 and 51. The ends of said cables are fastened to the wall.

The panels are guided in vertical guides 53 and 54. 72 is a soft, waterproofing material, placed under the vertical guides 54 on the outside of the tub, leaving an opening 73 for drainage into the tub. Above mentioned holes for locking the panels near the top or at the bottom are webs 55 and 56 of the guides 53 and 54, respectively.

I accomplish the above-mentioned results regardless of the ceiling heigth. For a dropped (low) ceiling, the guides 54 are curved as shown in Figure 12. The panels slide within spaces 57, etc., and the panels are moved up to the ceiling in a horizontal position.

Figures 7 and 8 show another method of accomplishing the same results as shown in Figures 2 to 6. In Figures 7 and 8, the panels are guided in the vertical guides 54 and each panel has its own stop, such as 61 and 62, when all panels are in the closed position as shown in Figure l. The second to the lowest panel (22) rests on 62, Figure 8. The topmost panel (23) rests on 61. When the user wants to bring the panels to the ceiling, he moves up an extrusion 63 together with the lowest panel until the second panel 22 is likewise picked up. On further lifting 63, panel 23 is also lifted. Parallel movement is obtained in accordance with the above description of Figure 11. A Z-shaped strip 70 covers the cables 50 and 51. The lowest panel has two pivots 65, Figure 10, pivoting two pawls 64. After the panels reach the topmost position, the pawls fall into notches 66. 67 are cables; one of their ends are fastened to the pawls 64 and the other ends are fastened to a bar 68 for lowering the panels. The bar 68 is placed below 63 so that the panels will fall into the hand of the user.

With the exception of the very narrow vertical guides 53 and 54, my enclosure leaves the entrance to the tub wide open. In addition, the top of the tub 39 is left no obstructed as no metal rail is required to be installed on the rim of the tub. These advantages are obtained by sliding the panels up and down instead of sideways. Another advantage is the waterproofing seal and the provision for self-drying any water that may splash within the vertical guides.

While I disclosed one embodiment of my invention, I do not confine myself to the embodiment herein disclosed as modifications are possible.

I claim:

1. A bathtub enclosure comprising a vertically exe) tending frame adaptedto be mounted on a Bathtub; said frame including a plurality of vertically extending guide members situated on one side thereof and corresponding guide members situated on the opposite side thereof, a plurality of panels slidably nibunted in said guide members for vertical movement therein, said panels bin'g' olfset from each other so as to be niova'ble into overlapping positions, said panels being movable lipwardly to the top of the frame into fully overlapping positions to open the enclosure and being movable downwardly into partly overlapping positions to close the enclosure, the lowermost panel, when the panels are in pa'rtly overlapping positions to close the enclosure, being provided with a laterally extending supporting element which is adapted to engage the other panels on upward movem nt of said lowermost panel in order to levate all of the panels to their fully overlapping positions at the top' of the frame, said laterallyextending supporting element bding provided with' a downwardly extending gasket tending the full length of said laterally e'iitiiding' guts; pot tinig element Between the veraeany extending guide niember's', said gasket being adapted to engage: the bathtub when the panels are in partly overlapping positions closing the enclosure in order to provide a water-tight seal between the lowermost of said panels and the bathtub.

2. A bathtub enclosure in accordance with claim 1, wherein a horizontal shaft is rotatably supported at the mp of did frame the upperends of th guides one end of said shaft being situated adjacent the guides on one side of the frame and the other end of the shaft being situated adjacent the guides at the opposite side of the frame, a plurality of pulleys of different diameters secured to each end of said shaft, idler pulleys supported at the top of the frame above said guides, and a plurality of cables connected to said panels and extending around said idler pulleys and thence around said shaft pulleys, the differently dimensioned shaft pulleys being adapted to feed and receive said cables at varying rates proportioned to their respective diameters, thereby producing vertical movement of said panels at varying rates, whereby the panels are retires from fully overlapping positions at the top of the frame to partly overlapping portions below the top of said frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,662,709 Korn Mar. 1a, 1928 2313,421 Baitbn Mar. 9, 1943 2,574,760 Rohrman Nov. 13, 1951 2,577,348 McLaughlin Dec. 4, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 396,839 Great- Britain Aug. 17, 1-93:- 

